Consequences
by Maladin
Summary: [Some chapters are not for the faint of heart] Sokka makes a surprising discovery when he goes back to Kyoshi Island, eliciting a new, more personal quest in addition to the one of helping Aang.
1. Chapter 1

**Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.**

Ba Sing Se, unconquerable metropolis against which six hundred days of brutal siege and the height of Fire Nation technology failed miserably, had fallen to a teenaged princess and her escort. The Dai Li, supposed protectors of the greatest stronghold known to man, was corrupt and sided with Azula, thus ensuring her control of the impenetrable city.

She had ordered the Dai Li to leave the throne room, in order to be left alone with her two companions. Mai and Ty Lee, both wearing their Earth Kingdom attire, stood in front of her, awaiting her remarks. Matters would soon be settled.

"You were almost perfect, Ty Lee." Azula started as she walked to the acrobat, allowing a faint smile to appear on her lips. "Almost. You focus too much on this Water Tribe warrior. I can't take any chance. Understood, Ty Lee?" She pressed on.

"Yeah." She giggled nervously. "He doesn't seem to like me anyways."

"Good."

"Besides, Zuko is cute too." Ty Lee continued. "And he might even like me!" She added enthusiastically.

Azula fought the urge to put on a disgusted expression as Mai sighed and rolled her eyes. "...Sure. At least he's on our side." She eventually replied, uncertain of the reaction to have. "Why don't you... go and ask him if he does?" 

Ty Lee obliged so. Azula watched her leaping out of the room. When she was out of earshot, she turned to Mai.

"You seem untroubled by Ty Lee's surprising interest in my brother, Mai." She stated, slightly raising her eyebrows.

She sighed in irritation. "I got over this crush years ago."

"Indeed." She walked around her, always looking at Mai as if her eyes were staring right through her head. "And it appears that you got over following orders too, as well as protecting your friends."

Mai tensed. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember the drill fiasco?" Azula asked, stopping in front of her and looking coldly in her eyes. "You could have provided a valuable help against those two siblings. Ty Lee told me how she was stuck in the slurry and how you disobeyed me. Your knifes could have turned this defeat into a victory." Her voice became glacial. "Had you followed my orders and gone after them, we could have won back then. And you didn't even try to prevent the prisoners to escape even though the only real opposition you had was a blind earthbender." Her voice seemed to have decreased the temperature of the room a great deal by now.

"And how does it relate to not protecting my friends?" Mai retorted, hiding her nervousness the best she could.

"Quite simple. Ty Lee could have died twice because of your apathy. She would be dead now, her lungs drowned in mud or her back broken if any of them felt the need to be more definitive. If it wasn't for our enemies' _mercy_." She spat the word. Mai suppressed a chill at Azula's gruesome descriptions.

Azula walked away from her, towards the throne. "You disappoint me, Mai. I expected much more of you."

Mai knew where it was going. She promptly crouched and reached for the stilettos hidden under the sleeves of her trousers. Before long, she came back to her previous position save for her arms behind her back, each hand holding a deadly projectile.

Unbeknownst to Mai, Azula prepared herself too. She discreetly performed the moves to summon her most powerful attack. "After the drill fiasco, Ty Lee reported your actions after we split up." She turned her head in order to glance at Mai. "_'She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me.'_ Does it sound familiar, Mai?" She finished as she whirled around, pointing a finger at her target and ready to shoot.

-

Ty Lee hopped around in the hall leading to the throne room, wondering where Zuko could possibly be, when the characteristic mighty crash and blinding illumination of a lightning strike interrupted her train of thought. She twirled around, horror distorting her face, and stood stunned. After a few seconds, she ran back into the room. "Mai!"

She spotted her friend on the floor, smoke rising from her burnt chest. She knelt beside her and clutched her body. Her arms rested along her body, her eyes were closed and her face was forever fixed in a stern expression in spite of the gaping hole in her rib cage. "Mai..."

Azula had killed her in cold blood. But Ty Lee suddenly noticed that the princess was not yelling at her for grieving for a person she just executed. She looked towards the throne and gasped. Azula was also sprawled on the floor. She carefully let go of Mai's body and moved to her other companion. Blood was dripping for her mouth, a stiletto piercing her throat and another her forehead.

Ty Lee collapsed on her knees in-between her friends' corpses. Tears were soon running freely down her cheeks. "I'm alone now..."

**Quite morbid, I know. ****This is the result of my reflection as to why Mai was still safe and sound around Azula when she proved to be not very motivated in following her directives.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.**

Azula struggled to get up after her tremendous fall from the drill. She had not managed to stop her descent and her body had suffered greatly, she could not feel anything in her right leg, but it was nothing compared to the blow to her ego. It was her third defeat against those ridiculous _kids_ and this time the Avatar did not settle for a simple escape, he destroyed the apotheosis of Fire Nation technology as if it were a mere toy. The only good point of this horrible failure was that the overwhelming mass of mud that eviscerated the drill allowed her to survive her fall.

Breathing heavily as she stood up, Azula turned towards the Outer Wall. Her aching body only made her anger build up faster. She snarled as she shot lightnings after lightnings at the fortification, each strike leaving insignificant, smoking cracks in the taunting walls.

Now unburdened of her frustration, she limped to the rear of the drill, where she had sent Ty Lee and Mai. She knew the machine had not spontaneously exploded, it did so because they were incapable to take out three kids, while they had dispatched an entire batallion of earthbenders with amazing ease. But she chose to scold fate _after_ her companions.

There was nobody on that side of the drill. Azula cursed silently. The escorting tanks were busy gadding about much too far away for her to requisition one, so she would have to walk around the machine, unless she found an accessible hatch. She inspected the metal carcass as she walked with difficulty towards the rear of the drill. She cursed again as no entrance was in sight, especially that the sun was setting. She continued, and was relieved when she finally spotted a steel door a little above the ground. And the she tripped.

Azula was voicing her discontentment as she arduously rose to look at the cause of her fall, but she stopped as she realized what it was.

_Ty Lee_.

The acrobat was covered with mud and was barely visible with the coming night. But what distressed Azula was that she was completely still. A filthy trickle of slurry leaked from her half opened mouth and her eyes, half opened as well, stared blankly at Azula as she held her in her arms. The princess bit her lip as she forced herself not to cry, Fire Nation royalty did not cry. She preferred not to think in what condition she would find Mai after her fight with those _barbarians_.

Azula would soon learn her fate as the hatch beside her opened, letting a flow of steam escape. She half-heartedly glanced at it and was surprised to see Mai, safe and sound, nonchalantly gazing at her.

"We lost." She stated simply, her expression still as bored despite the cruel defeat they just suffered.

That was when Azula noticed it. Mai's robe was still immaculate, unlike her and Ty Lee's outfits. Rage engulfed her mind as she understood why. She had disobeyed a _direct order_, which caused them both the victory and, much more importantly to her eyes though she would never admit it, Ty Lee. She exhaled deeply as she stood up, staring coldly at Mai, who did not notice Ty Lee's corpse behind Azula.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow in fake interest. Looking over her nails to see if they were still clean, she did not notice the blue sparks flying from Azula's hands. 

-

When Azula came back to the control room, War Minister Qin chose not to ask her about the disappearance of her cronies nor about the bloodcurdling scream that echoed all through the drill.

**Second installment of this fanfiction, exploring one of Azula's comment from the previous chapter. And in case you are wondering, the _blue sparks_ at the end are supposed to foreshadow Azula's blue fire and not a lightning, as spark can be used for 'spark of fire' or 'spark of electricity'.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.**

_It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you._

These words kept repeating themselves in her head, and Mai knew why. Azula had the Dai Li under her command now and she wouldn't be surprised if she forgot about her and Ty Lee... if she didn't plainly dispose of them both now that they were unneeded. She needed to have a discussion with the princess who was, according to the Dai Li agents she encountered, inspecting the ramparts. Mai presumed it was more out of boredom than out of concern.

She walked out of the immense palace, setting foot on no less grand rampart. Three royal guards were standing there, one of whom was holding a green torch that was providing them enough light to see Mai's face. According to the dirty looks they gave her as she walked past them, they knew about Azula's coup and her own involvement. Though she knew they would not dare to do anything against any of them.

Still haunted by the words she wished not to hear anymore, Mai thought of the other closest people to her. Her family first came to mind. She recalled how she feared Azula's admonishment to be deadly. How she feared for her brother's safety after she and Ty Lee failed to free him. Ty Lee. She was one of the nicest girls she ever met and yet she admired Azula so much she would kill others or even herself just to please her. Mai hated Azula for that, as well as for whatever torture she wouldn't fail to inflict to Zuko.

She noticed a lone figure many meters ahead of her. As she continued to walk, a guard and his torch passed by the person and Mai saw Azula staring at her. "What do you want?" She asked as soon as the earthbender was out of earshot. Her voice was as harsh as her eyes were cold, but it only gave Mai more reasons for her action.

"I just wanted to talk." Mai replied with the bored tone she had mastered.

Azula rolled her eyes. "And this can't wait for tomorrow?" She frowned. "This better be important."

"I am concerned, you see." She came closer. "I was thinking about your talk about trust and people closest to you." Azula frowned more while Mai looked around to make sure no guard was around. There was not. She put her hand on Azula's shoulder and moved her head beside Azula's ear in order to whisper. "And I can't help noticing how close the Dai Li seems to you now..."

The princess relaxed her expression. "Don't worry about that." She looked down the wall before continuing. "They won't betray me. They won't da-a-" Her eyes widened as the bitter taste of blood soiled her tongue. "-a-are to..." She continued weakly as she looked down to see a tainted blade, reflecting in the moonlight, come out of her chest. "W-why?" She managed to stutter as she felt life escape her.

"That's for Ty Lee." Mai whispered as she shoved the dying Azula over the rampart. She had already walked away when the crash of her fall was heard.

-

The next morning, Mai was playing with the guilty dagger in the room she shared with Ty Lee and late Azula when Zuko opened the door.

"Oh, sorry." He said, not realizing he was talking to one of his old acquaintances. She motioned for him to walk in and he did so, closing the door behind him. "I was told it's Azula's room... Do you know where she is?"

Mai stopped twiddling her knife. "No idea." She lied. "As for you, have you seen a bubbly, pink-clad girl who loves to bend in crazy angles?" She then asked, wondering why she didn't find Ty Lee when she came back to their room after the murder. She saw him mouth _'Ty Lee?'_ questioningly but the whole scene was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Zuko opened to discover a woman wearing a robe and bearing a huge smile.

"Sorry to bother you." Zuko stepped away as she walked in. "I have bad news."

"Your lips are stuck with that smile forever?" Mai deadpanned, twiddling with her dagger again.

"No!" She replied cheerfully. "The most esteemed Fire Princess Azula was found dead in the garden not long ago." Zuko's jaw dropped whereas Mai kept a watch over both of them. "The Dai Li think she fell from the rampart. She died in spite of Lady Ty Lee dampening her fall."

Mai's heart stopped for a second and she lost control of her knife, which jabbed into the wall she was facing. "WHAT?" She screamed as she jumped in front of the woman, suddenly aggravated by the constant smile she had while bearing such bad news.

"Yes. The guards told us she went to promenade in the garden. She was sadly at the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't survive to the shock." Joo Dee announced merrily, tilting her head and smiling more.

**Irony is such a nasty thing, is it not? Now that the 'Ozai's Angels kill each other with only one survivor left' installment is finished, prepare for new, less predictable oneshots in the next chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.**

Toph was rarely scared. She wasn't afraid when the entire cast of the Earth Rumble charged her with less than honourable intentions. She wasn't scared when a trio of female teenaged psychopaths was trailing her group with even more sinister motives. The only fear she had ever experienced was her parents never realizing she wasn't a vulnerable porcelain doll and even then it wasn't the type of fear she was experiencing now.

One would think a team composed of the Avatar, the greatest earthbender in the world and the Southern Water Tribe's finest would be invulnerable. She thought so too, before this morning. How could this have happened? Even in her worst nightmares, she hadn't dreamed that.

_Toph was casually resting on the bags in Appa's saddle, savouring the last seconds of a calm that would inevitably be disturbed. No, not by necessity to outstrip an enemy: they would not need to leave the glade flanked by that noisy river before two good hours. But by Aang and his attempts to catch Katara's romantic attention. Silly Twinkle Toes._

_"Look Katara, I made you a necklace!"_

_"Again? But that's the third one this month!"_

"Well, you kept losing them with all those fights, so I thought..."

"I'm gonna look for Sokka." Toph suddenly declared, getting up and jumping down Appa's saddle. "Okay with you, lovebirds?" She tried to ignore their embarrassed reactions but failed to. Their blushes were so obvious she was sure the ants on the other bank could sense them. Searching for Sokka, whatever tight spot he managed to get himself into since he left the glade, assured her not to witness any other attempt at romance.

Besides, it was unusual for him to leave for so long. Maybe he decided to hunt, Toph mused as she entered the forest, senses alert as she tried to find Sokka's position. A human heartbeat, most likely the only one in the woods besides hers, was easy to discern from the animals' heartbeats if she concentrated enough. Sometimes, she really envied those who were not born blind: no vibration constantly telling her what was around, being able to not be aware of everything around her, being able to relax her senses... Though her bond with Earth was obviously useful, as it allowed to--

_THUMP!_

Toph blinked before getting back to her feet. She had just tripped over something that was not earth, or she would have sensed and avoided it. It couldn't be a trunk, it was too limp. She knelt down and touched it. Limp, warm and feeling like clothes. She moved her hand around and noticed it was a male; she had touched his chest first. She raised her eyebrows; why didn't he react? She tried to smack his head to make him react, only to discover... that he missed his head.  


_There was a beheaded man in the forest, and he was much too close to their camp for comfort. And his clothes reminded her too much of a certain warrior from the Southern Water Tribe..._

Prior to that discovery, she thought impossible for someone to shiver and twitch so much, but her own reaction proved her wrong. She remembered being _very_ thankful of her blindness, as the decapitation had been quite gory from what her fingers gathered when she examined his neck. She didn't have to witness it and her imagination wasn't morbid enough for her to have a picture. But she was still scared.

Something moved. The vibrations never lied, something moved. Toph bit her lip but took a fighting stance nonetheless. Did she find it? Did it find her? She listened attentively to her surroundings, feeling any vibration the ground could carry.

Nothing.

Whatever it was, it left. Not lowering her guard, she cautiously continued to pass through the forest. Plains were not rare in the Earth Kingdom and she hoped to find one soon. Only rock and no tree for anyone to hide from her senses thanks to tall branches. She knew that was how it had escaped from detection since the trouble began.

_"Twinkl--er, Aang?" Toph asked uneasily, twitching and shivering, which didn't escape the airbender. "Could you come? There's... something I think you should see..."_

_Aang, with his loyal Momo on his shoulder, followed her into the forest, though still troubled by Toph's behaviour. Maybe she had caught a cold, but he doubted it; she rather seemed distressed, frightened even. And Toph was never frightened, if anything she frightened people with her earthbending. But his train of thought crashed abruptly as he entered the terrible scene Toph led him to._

_"S-Sokka?" He stuttered in shock. He motioned to inspect the body when a scream broke the silence. Aang turned abruptly, causing Momo to fall down. He knew that voice. "KATARA!" He shouted as he sprinted back to the camp, followed by a worried Toph while the lemur stayed, poking sadly Sokka's body._

_Aang broke in tears as he reached their camp. It was the same horror play, except Katara had taken Sokka's role. He fell to his knees and Toph put her hand on his shoulder. "She... she is dead? I'm sorry Aang..."_

Even though she had known them for less time that Aang, Toph had understood his pain and she remembered crying, like him. Katara and Sokka had been wonderful friends, in spite of a few fatigue-induced feuds with the former, but they saw her like she was. Not a blind and fragile doll, not a Bei Fong, not the Blind Bandit, but Toph. And she had lost all of her new life because of a rabid animal, or even worse, a madman.

_Aang could feel the anger rise within him, but he refused to use the Avatar State because of rage instead of a defence mechanism. But he was interrupted in his dilemma as he heard Momo shriek. Maybe whatever killed his friends was still her and decided to attack one of his last living friends. He swiftly stood up before running into the woods._

_"Aang!" Toph screamed as she failed to prevent their diminished group to split up. Sokka, in his sadly shortened lifetime, had taught her to never split up when a danger was around. They had not realized the danger in time and it cost her everyone. She could feel the tears rolling down her face as a heart-splitting scream echoed once again in her ears. Aang was dead, she knew it. And as Momo didn't come either, she feared he left the mortal world as well._

Meters from the edge of the forest, Toph felt many emotions overwhelming her as the grievous events kept replaying in her head. She, who usually sensed everything around her, had failed to protect the first friends she ever had. She felt sorrow as well but it was eclipsed by the rage she was feeling for the killer, animal or human. As she was steps from the plains, she swore she would avenge her friends, by waiting and listening to it, her or him come in a terrain where she had the advantage.

But she never made it to the plains.

-

The man cleaned up his axe now that his last target was dead. Toph's head joined the sinister collection hanging from his belt; two heads from the Southern Water Tribe as well as those of the last airbender and lemur. He had been quite disappointed to be forced to poison the flying bison during their sleep, but it obviously was too big for his house, let alone his belt. However, the others had been much easier, even if he had to jump from trees to trees to get the last one.

"Off with their heads!" He cackled madly as he continued to clean his weapon. "One for each head of cabbage!"

**What can I say? That line from The King of Omashu was too good to pass up... Besides, it is a 'tragedy/horror' story...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Avatar: the last airbender belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon.**

Sokka sighed dejectedly. It was one of these days again, where everything was going wrong since the very second he woke up. After a quite uncomfortable wakening with Momo's hand in his mouth, they had been forced to take off because of ten freaks, half of which were humans and riding the second half, much too bellicose for his own taste. They then had landed in a town inhabited by crazy people whose hatred for the Avatar rivalled the one of the Fire Nation and who locked up Aang for a crime he obviously could not have committed.

But worst of all, he had lost his boomerang. There was time for Katara's scrolls, for Aang's staff and _even_ for _Momo_, but not for his boomerang. He had complained much about this discrimination but it fell on deaf ears. But he had luck in his misfortune, for he and Katara were travelling to Kyoshi Island to prove Aang's innocence, which meant he would see Suki again. He brightened slightly at the thought and he became even happier when they reached the forsaken island.

Despite flying on Appa, he heard a bell knolling from what looked like a watchtower. They soon landed in front of the statue of Kyoshi, indirect and unwilling instigator of the current Avatar's present trouble. A blue wall almost immediately surrounded the bison; the villagers had crowded around them, looking forward to meeting the Avatar once again. One even foamed to the point of fainting.

"Where's Aangy?" Asked Koko, the most memorable and fervent of Aang's fans. Sokka pondered one instant about nicknaming the place Fan Island. They _did_ have all sorts of fans everywhere, after all.

"He couldn't be here, Koko." Katara answered after hopping down from Appa. Her brother quickly followed.

"I wanted to see Aangy!" Koko was not the only one disappointed by Aang's absence. The crowd murmured in disenchantment before dispersing and going back to their business.

Sokka could not help feeling loved. The village chief, Oyagi, eventually came to burst his bubble of adoration. Shortly thereafter, Katara had explained him the situation and he was leading them a shrine devoted to Kyoshi. Sokka briefly mused about a similar memorial to Aang in the future but soon shook this thought out of his head, for he had something else to ask.

"So... What's Suki's up to?" He asked, trying not to sound overly interested, though he had a feeling both Katara and Oyagi knew better. "Is she around?"

Oyagi slowed his pace before replying. "Our warriors left to fight in the war." He started, carefully choosing his words. "You kids had a big impact on them. They said you inspired them and they wanted to help change the world. They felt cloistered on the island."

A sad look appeared on Sokka's face. "Oh well, that's great..."

"Suki, however, stayed. She couldn't go for... personal reasons." Oyagi commented, guessing the teenager's disappointment. "You'll find her in the training house..."

"Super!" He flustered lightly as they turned their heads to look at him, the chief's face unreadable and his sister bearing a sly smile. "Err, I mean, that's nice to know. But we don't have time. We need to investigate..." He trailed off.

"Give up Sokka." Katara said, teasing evident in her voice. "Go see your girlfriend. I can investigate alone."

He brightened and turned on his heels and running off. The remaining duo resumed walking and had made a few steps when Sokka ran back to them. "And she's _not_ my girlfriend!" He exclaimed before sprinting back to the village. Katara rolled her eyes whereas Oyagi simply sighed.

They eventually reached the temple. Before entering it, the waterbender could not contain her curiosity anymore. "Why did Suki stay?" She asked.

Oyagi stared at her a few seconds. "It does not belong to me to inform you." He answered mysteriously before walking into the temple.

-

Suki was training with acquired discipline when rapid steps from outside distracted her. She looked toward the door in time to see it slide open, revealing a face she did not think she would see in a long while. "Sokka?" She asked incredulously before finding herself hugged in a matter of seconds. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, Avatar stuff." He replied casually as he let go of the hug. "But what about you? I heard you were the last warrior here."

Suki faltered lightly as she knelt down, imitated by him. That was the reason why she secretly wished not to chance on him so soon. She chose to change the subject. "What's with the ridiculous hat and glass?"

"Err, nothing!" He replied as he took them off and shoved them aside. "So... why did you stay?"

She gave a forced smile. "I'm not sure you want to know why I didn't go with the other girls..." She said vaguely.

"Come on! We're friends, right? Didn't we fight that crazy Fire Prince together?"

She bit her lip. He was making it harder, not on purpose of course, but he still was. "Yes, we _are_ friends..." She motioned for him to lean closer. "I'll tell you why..." She started to whisper in his ear.

-

Katara examined the relics of the Avatar doubly previous to Aang. "She had exquisite taste." She stated, reaching to feel the fabric of the huge kimono.

"Please don't tou-" Oyagi was interrupted by a high-pitched scream echoing throughout the village.

"Sokka?" Katara yelled as she drew her hands away from the kimono. She darted to the doorway and glanced outside.

The old man stoked his chin. "He took the news better than I thought." He remarked, much to the girl's surprise.

"News?" She walked back in the temple. "You mean... That's about Suki?"

"Yes." He waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing to worry about. Go back to your inspection." Katara looked at him, then shrugged and walked back to the relics but not without a last glance in the general direction of the village. "And don't touch." He almost hissed.

-

Suki uneasily watched Sokka as his breathing brushed against hyperventilation. Her unease decreased when he began to breathe normally again, but it increased when he started laughing.

"Good joke Suki!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Now, seriously, _why_ are you still here?"

"It's not a joke Sokka." She replied, finding it very hard to look at him.

He laughed again, but this time much more nervously and with a few twitches. "Ha ha ha... That's _true_? You're... You're..." He began to stammer madly. "But how? Why? How? When?"

Suki looked down. "It happened after you left... It surprised us all that he actually could be nice at times..." She tapped her index fingers together uncertainly. "Very sweet even and, one thing leading to the other..." She blushed slightly as her voice grew faint.

A few minutes silently flew by, Sokka looking sadly at Suki who herself gazed everywhere but at him. He sighed. "Do you miss him? Even though he is... well, _him_?" She tilted her head up, met his eyes and nodded. He sighed again. "I see." His grasp over her shoulders became a reassuring squeeze. "I'll try to find him, if that's okay with you."

"Thanks." She kissed Sokka on the cheek. "I shouldn't have worried about your reaction."

"Of course not." He replied, a hint of awkwardness in his voice, and stood up. "I'll go join Katara now. Avatar stuff."

As he walked out, Suki rested her hand on her belly and sighed in relief. She had been worried about his reaction to her situation when she saw him enter. She got up and was about to resume her drill when a scream of frustration was heard outside, followed by what suspiciously sounded like Sokka smacking his head into a tree. She heaved a sigh again but smiled a little. He really had taken the news better than she expected.

----

As he scuttled toward the deserted city and in-between worried thoughts about his friend Aang, Sokka cursed his bad luck. He should have guessed that the newest addition to the team, in the person of a blind girl whose earthbending matched if not outdid the one of Bumi, brought its flock of difficulties as well as her insane skills. Barely a few days after she joined the team, she had left them because of a stupid feud.

Thankfully, the trusty Appa had limited the damage by airbending the two thirds of the terrifying team chasing them out of range and out of threat. But they had to leave the fatigue-ridden bison away from the town, for he was too tired to continue. They had reached Aang just in time to save him from the craziest one of the trio. After a few exchanged blows, it was Toph's turn to come to the rescue. They had shortly cornered the enemy firebender.

And then, he saw _him_, standing by who he remembered to be his uncle.

To everyone's surprise, he grabbed him by the wrist. "You and I need to talk." He turned his head to the others. "Continue the fight you." He then led a grumpy and shocked Zuko inside one of the buildings.

"What do you want, filthy water peasant!" He hissed as Sokka let go of his wrist.

"Remember Kyoshi Island?" Sokka demanded, ignoring the prince's irritable demeanour as well as the taunts and sounds caused by the intense battle outside. Zuko gave a confused frown before nodding. "Remember Suki?" He nodded again. "Good. I hope you remember how you_got her pregnant_ too." He said with a harsh glare.

Zuko's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "W-what?" He stuttered as his right eye twitched repeatedly.

"I guess that boomerang blow at the South Pole really _did_ make you stupid...er." Sokka commented under his breath. "You. Slept. With. Her." He clasped his collar with both hands and brought his face closer. "You're the father of her child, and you better assume the consequences." He then released him, though his glare never diminished.

"B-b-but... It can't be..." He clasped his head in his hands and began to shake it furiously. "I'm the Fire Nation heir! She's just some, some... Some nobody!"

His outburst was cut short by a slap from Sokka. "I expected that reaction." He said, clearly ticked off. "But Suki's my friend and I promised her you would be with her." Zuko stared blankly at Sokka, who looked at him with an unreadable face. "Besides, did you really think of her as a nobody? You couldn't possibly have if you liked her enough to... taste fatherhood." Sokka continued, unconvinced.

The firebender looked down. "You're right. I'm lying to myself when I say she's a nobody to me. I... liked her too much for her to be insignificant." Sokka nodded approvingly. "She was the first to look at me like a person, come to think of it. Not a prince, not the enemy, just... me. A little like my un-"

They were interrupted when a little green-clad girl wlaked in. "What were you doing snoozles?" Toph yelled. "You could have helped us a great deal against that mad girl! She managed to shoot that nice old man before taking off like a rabbaroo!"

Zuko's eyes widened. "Uncle?" He whispered incredulously.

Toph frowned. "You're his nephew? Ouch. Anyways, Katara's heal-"

Katara's entrance cut her off. "No, Toph. I couldn't heal him. I don't think anybody would have survived a blue-hot fireball in the head anyways..." She muttered sadly. Iroh was one of the very few Fire Nation people she met who were actually nice.

Zuko stood speechless for a few seconds. All of sudden, he pointed a finger at Sokka. "You!" He hissed, his face distorted in fury. "It was a set-up, wasn't it? You got me away from my uncle so that you could kill him!" He continued, walking toward the yound warrior who himself started to back away. "You even lied to me to mess up with my mind. Like Azula!"

Before Sokka could speak to prove his innocence, the prince engulfed him in fire, under the horrified eyes of the remaining occupants of the room, all paralyzed in shock by the victim's agonizing screams. "I should have known it was one of her plans!" He screamed insanely, towering above Sokka's smoldering body. "Everyone's against m-" He never finished his sentence.

"You killed my brother!" Katara shrieked as she whipped the recent murderer with the water of her flask, sending him stumbling into a wall. He had no time to get up for Toph joined in and summoned a pike of earth from the ground, piercing through his torso in a sickening crack. Zuko's body twitched before becoming motionless, eyes glazed over.

Aang, who had been outside the building when the fight broke out, walked in and gasped at the scene. "W-what... What happened here?" He asked, disbelief and horror burdening his face.

Katara gave one last look to her brother's corpse before squeezing his shoulder and leading him outside. "Nothing. Sokka's death is avenged." She murmured, tears flowing down her cheeks. Toph followed, her face ridden with grief as well, though hers was nowhere as strong as Katara's.

**You did not expect that, now did you? A little breath of fresh air in these chapters of horror and tragedy, even though it did not last. Although I am sure some will consider Zuko/Suki alone to be horrific and tragic enough to fit.**

**Other than that, remember boys and girls, sex is the source of children and abandoning duties of parenthood is baaad. Especially if there is an over-protective and jealous person like Sokka around.**


End file.
